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Once you progress to using an Arabic-Arabic dictionary, the entry layout can be a little confusing. Here’s a key for the verb dhahaba taken from al-Mu’jam al-Wasit, and annotated to show what information is being given (click to see full size image):

The development of Arabic may roughly be divided into three periods: Classical Arabic, Post-classical Arabic and Modern Arabic. The classical period lasts until about the end of the first century AH, after which the enormous conversion rate to Islam amongst non-Arabs and the expansion of the Muslim empire all but wiped out the pristine […]

Commonly known as Lane’s Lexicon, this is the most meticulous and thorough Arabic-English dictionary ever produced. Because of its clarity and logical structure, it is even used extensively by serious modern Arab linguists.

Unlike the more popular Hans Wehr, Hava is a classical Arabic dictionary. Although it does have occasional mistakes, it generally sticks to and gives the correct classical meaning and usage of Arabic words. Where non-classical words are included, they are clearly […]

Although it can be tempting to avoid using Arabic-Arabic dictionaries altogether, as there are so many Arabic-English dictionaries, many of them of very high quality, there are definite advantages to developing a habit of using them.

Most obviously, as you look up the new words you come across when reading […]

W. Wright’s A Grammar of the Arabic Language, commonly known simply as Wright’s Arabic Grammar or Wright’s Grammar, has been the most advanced reference work of Arabic grammar generally available in English since its publication in the mid 19th century.

Haywood and Nahmad’s Arabic grammar textbook is an absolute must for anyone who accepts the proposition that the best way to learn or teach Arabic to an English-speaking student is through an Arabic textbook presented in […]

Most of the best-known Arabic Textbooks assume that you already know the Arabic script, or else they deal with the basics of the Arabic alphabet very briefly, before moving on to Arabic grammar. Therefore, if you are a complete beginner, we highly recommend that you go to the section Online […]

Ḥabīb ‘Alī is from the renowned ulama of Yemen, from the Ḥabā`ib family, which has produced great Muslim Scholars for centuries. The Durūs wa Khuṭab section of his website has hundreds of hours of Arabic audio lectures. His website can also be viewed in […]

Arabic Media serves an important role in modern Arabic: it sets a common standard of educated or ‘correct’ Arabic across the Arab world. As such, it is important to be familiar and comfortable with it.

This can take some time, as Media Arabic, in common with the media of any language, […]

Examples

وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ مَرْيَمَ إِذِ انتَبَذَتْ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا مَكَانًا شَرْقِيًّا And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she had withdrawn from her people to a place looking East – Quran: 19:16

Examples

نُقِرُّ فِي الْأَرْحَامِ مَا نَشَاءُ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ثُمَّ نُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلًا And We cause what We will to remain in the wombs for an appointed time, and afterward We bring you forth as infants – Quran: 22:5

Organizing and regularly going over a large amount of vocabulary when learning a foreign language can be intensely time consuming, and intensely boring. Anki is a really neat program, that helps you spread out your learning, and focus on stuff that you keep getting wrong.

Examples

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لّلنّاسِ وَبَيّنَاتٍ مّنَ الْهُدَىٰ وَالْفُرْقَانِ The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the Criterion (of right and wrong) – Quran […]

Examples

وتسببت أعمال العنف في كراتشي في مقتل ألفي شخص خلال العام الماضي فقط، ويشكل هذا رقما قياسيا بالنسبة إلى السنوات العشرين الماضية. And violence in Karachi has resulted in the death of two thousand people last year alone, which is a record in comparison […]

Examples

قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا وَأُشْرِبُوا فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْعِجْلَ بِكُفْرِهِم They said: “We hear, and we disobey;” And they had to drink into their hearts (of the taint) of the calf because of their Faithlessness – Quran 2:93

Examples

يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتّبِعُونَ الدّاعِيَ لَا عِوَجَ لَهُ وَخَشَعَتِ الْأَصْوَاتُ لِلرّحْمنِ فَلَا تَسْمَعُ إِلا هَمْسًا On that day they follow the summoner who deceiveth not, and voices are hushed for the Beneficent, and thou hearest but a faint murmur – Quran, […]

A few weeks ago, I came across a some news reports that Prince Charles was trying to learn Arabic. Always up for a challenge, I decided I’d offer my services to His Royal Highness. I got out my finest writing pad […]

Examples

إِنّ الّذِينَ كَفَرُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَأَنذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُون Verily, those who disbelieve, it is the same to them whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not believe – Quran, 2:6

Examples

قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبّكَ يُبَيّن لّنَا مَا هِيَ إِنّ الْبَقَرَ تَشَابَهَ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنّا إِن شَاءَ اللهُ لَمُهْتَدُون They said, “Call upon your Lord for us to make plain to us what it is. Verily to us all cows […]

cause, reason = (sabab) سَبَبٌ

Associated verb: سَبّب ه to cause sPlural: أَسْبَاب

Examples

أَمْ لَهُم مُلْكُ السّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فَلْيَرْتَقُوا فِي الأَسْبَاب Or is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them theirs? Then let them ascend by ropes! – Quran, 38:10

house = (bayt) بَيْت

Plurals: بُيُوْت Associated verb: to spend the night in the company of بَاتَ (يَبِيْتُ) بِ – بَيْتُوْتَة

Examples

إِنَّ أَوّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنّاسِ لَلّذِي بِبَكّةَ مُبَارَكًا وَهُدًى لِلْعَالَمِينَ The first House (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka: Full of blessing and of guidance for all kinds of beings: […]

I’ve discussed how and when an Arabic student should formally begin to study Classical Arabic Syntax, as developed and codified by the medieval Arabic grammarians, (known as Nahw), in the article How to Learn Arabic. Below is an annotated translation from Shawkani’s Adab al-Talab, in which he discusses how to go about studying the various […]

I got very nice email from a sister who requested that, if possible, the Word of the Day emails be focused more or less solely on Classical Arabic, as that was what she was primarily interested in. I’m sharing the answer I gave her below (a little edited) for others who have similar queries:
—
Thank […]

1 – الْهَوَى (hawa) = Attraction
This is the beginning of love. The root verb هَوَى is used to describe wind, meaning to blow, suggesting that this love can arise suddenly, but is transient, not yet firm in the heart. The verb also means both to rise and to fall, indicating the unstable nature […]

man = (rajul) رَجُلٌ

Plural رِجَالٌ

Examples

وَجَاءَ مِنْ أَقْصَى الْمَدِينَةِ رَجُلٌ يَسْعَىٰ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اتّبِعُوا الْمُرْسَلِينَ And there came from the uttermost part of the city a man running. He cried: O my people! Follow those who have been sent! – Quran, 36:20

to gulp = جَرِضَ

جَرِضَ (jarida) (imperfect يَجْرَضُ , verbal noun جَرَضٌ ) means to gulp, when occasioned by a state of anxiety or grief. It is usually followed up immediately by بِرِيْقِهِ with his spittle. Someone who does this is referred to as جَرِيْض (jareed). Like many verbs of the form فَعِلَ , […]

to follow = تَبِعَ

There are a number of derived verbs from the roots letters ت ب ع , which all roughly mean to follow, but each with its own nuance. So تَبِعَ (tabi’a) (imperfect: يَتْبَعُ , verbal noun تَبَعًا ) means to follow, in the sense of walking with someone or behind someone, […]

at all = اَلْبَتّةَ

The verb بَتَّ (batta) means to cut off, sever something. The verbal noun from this is بَتٌّ . In negative sentences, this verbal noun is used with an الْ attached to it, and also a ة (which is being used here, as in many other Arabic words, for emphasis, e.g. […]

mirage = سَرَابٌ

سَرَابٌ (saraab) is a mirage. It’s from the verb سَرِبَ (imperfect: يَسْرَبُ , verbal noun: سَرَبٌ ) to flow on the surface of the ground (said of water). The Arabs have a saying: أَخْدَعُ مِنَ السَّرَابِ more deceitful than a mirage. This is often contrasted with the word آلٌ (aal); although […]

high = عَالٍ

عَالٍ is the active participle of the verb عَلا (imperfect: يَعْلُو , verbal noun: عُلُوٌّ ), meaning to be high, lofty; as it is from a defective verb, the active participle عَالٍ is a defective noun (i.e. اِسْمٌ مَنْقُوصٌ ), meaning high, lofty. It has the same meaning as عَلِيٌّ , […]

sheep = غَنَم

غَنَم (plural أَغْنَام ) is a collective noun meaning sheep and goats. It is an اِسمُ جَمْع , which means that it is the type of collective for which there is no singular from the same root (like إِبِل camels). So we cannot add a ة and form غَنَمَة to mean […]

to send = بَعَث

بَعَث is to send. When the object is a person, the verb is transitive, so we would say بَعَثَ الْمَلِكُ رَسُولاً إِلَيْهِم the king sent a messenger to them. However, where the object is inanimate, the verb is used intransitively, with the prepositional complement ب , e.g. بَعَثَ الْمَلِكُ بِرِسالَةٍ […]

Arabs = اَلْعَرَبُ

There are two categories of Arabs: اَلْعَرَبُ الْعَارِبَةُ (al-‘arab al-‘aribah), (literally the Arabic Arabs), which refers to the ancient “genuine” Arabs, which consisted primarily of a number of tribes extinct by the time of the Prophet Muhammad (sws), such as ‘Aad and Thamud; it can also be used to refer to […]

attribute = نَعْت

نَعْت (plural نُعُوت ) and وَصْف (plural: أَوْصَاف ) both mean quality, attribute. The difference between them is that the former is only used in reference to good qualities or attributes, whereas the latter is used for both good and bad. As such, لَهُ نُعُوْتٌ كَثِيْرَة would mean he has many […]

to die = مَات

The verb to die in Arabic is مَات . The imperfect can be يَمُوت or يَمات . Hollow verbs which retain an ا in their imperfect, such as خَاف (imperfect: يَخَاف ) to fear, take a kasrah on their first radical in those perfect verb conjugates for which the third […]

especially = لا سِيَّمَا

لا سِيَّمَا (laa siyyamaa) means especially, and is comprised of three elements: (i) the لا which denies the whole genus, or the لا that denies absolutely, which is followed by an indefinite accusative but without the tanween, such as in لا إلهَ إِلاّ الله there is no god but God, […]

to speak = كَلَّم

كَلَّم (kallama) is to speak. It is transitive, so we would say, for example, كَلَّمْتُه I spoke to him, and we wouldn’t use a preposition like إِلَى to ل to translate to, but instead have a direct object. The classical Arabic equivalent of the phrase I spoke to him face […]

beautiful = جَمِيْل

جَمِيْل (jameel) means beautiful, when referring to someone’s physical appearance or their character. It can also mean melted fat, as the root verb from which it is derived is جَمَل (jamala) (imperfect: يَجْمُل , verbal noun: جَمْل ), meaning to melt fat. It has been suggested that the two words are from […]

clouds = سَحَاب

سَحَاب (sahab) is a singularisable collective noun (i.e. what is known in Arabic grammar as an اِسْمُ جِنْسٍ جَمْعِيّ , literally a collective generic noun), meaning clouds. Because it is singularisable, we can add a ة to the end of it, and we thus form the singular سَحَابَة cloud. If we […]

big = كَبِيْر

كَبِيْر (kabir) can mean old or great or big. The associated verbs with these meanings are كَبِرَ (kabira) (imperfect: يَكْبَر , verbal noun كِبَرًا ) to become older, and كَبُرَ (kabura) (imperfect: يَكْبُر , verbal nouns كِبَرًا and كُبْرًا ) to be great or to be big. The latter verb can […]

so and so = فُلان

فُلان (fulan) without an ال attached to it means so-and-so, or such a person, i.e. as a substitute for an unnamed and unspecified person. It is a triptote noun, but its feminine فُلانَة (fulanah) is a diptote; e.g. قَالَ إِنَّهُ رَأَى فُلانًا وفُلانَة he said he saw such-and-such a […]

to plant = زَرَعَ

زَرَعَ (zara’a) (imperfect يَزْرَع , verbal noun زِرَاعَة ) means to plant, sow. Its object can be either what was sown or where it was sown, and it is usually used with reference seeds (rather than trees), e.g. زَرَعَ الْحَبَّ he sowed the seeds, and زَرَعَ أَرْضَهُ he planted (seeds […]

a period of time = بُرْهَةٌ

بُرْهَةٌ or بَرْهَةٌ (burhah/barhah) is similar in meaning to مُدَّةٌ (muddah), i.e. a period of time, and many considered the two identical in meaning. The former however is usually used to indicate a relatively long period of time, and is often followed by the phrase مِنَ الدَّهْرِ of […]

shade = ظِلّ

ظِلّ (zill) is shade. The other well known word for shade in Arabic is فَيْء (fay’). There are a number of opinions regarding the relationship between these two words: (i) they are synonymous; (ii) shade from the morning to midday (when the sun begins to decline) is called ظِلّ , and […]

to teach = عَلَّم

Forms 2 and 4 are both causative in Arabic. So whereas the root verb عَلِم (‘alima) means to know, the Form 2 verb عَلَّم (‘allama) and the Form 4 verb أَعْلَم (‘a’lama) both mean to cause someone to know. However, Form 2 is used for actions which are done repeatedly, […]

to repel = طَرَد

طَرَد (tarada) means to repel, drive away, e.g. طَرَدَ الذّبَابَ عَنِ الشَّرَاب he repelled the flies from the drink. It is used when the repelling is being done physically, such as with the hand or with some instrument. The fourth form of this verb is أَطْرَد (atrada), which means to […]

to be expert = مَهَرَ

مَهَرَ (imperfect يَمْهُرُ , verbal noun مَهَارَةً ) means to be expert, or skilled in something. It can be used transitively (so would resemble the English verb to master something), or can be followed by فِيْ or بِ , e.g. مَهَرَ النَّحْوَ / فِي النَّحْوِ / بِالنَّحْوِ he mastered, […]

a people = شَعْبٌ

The word for a people in Arabic is شَعْبٌ (plural شُعُوْبٌ). This was considered the highest of a six-tiered genealogical hierarchy; the شَعْبٌ is a collection of قَبَائِلُ (singular: قَبِيْلَةٌ tribe), which in turn is a collection of عَمَائِرُ (singular عِمَارَةٌ) , which is a collection of بُطٌوْنٌ (singular بَطْنٌ […]

to produce a result = أَنْتَجَ

In Classical Arabic, the primary meaning of نَتَجَ (imperfect: يَنْتُجُ ) was as in the phrase, نَتَخَ النَّاقَةَ وَلدًا he assisted the she-camel in giving birth. Note that the subject here is the person doing the assisting. Hence, it was used by Ibn Muqaffa’ in Kalīlah wa Dimnah […]

Harm = ضُرٌّ

ضُرٌّ in Arabic means harm. As a substantive noun, it is synonymous with ضَرٌّ and ضَرَرٌ , though some claimed that ضُرٌّ is properly only used for harm which afflicts the body. However, when it is contrasted with its opposite نَفْعٌ benefit, we would have to use ضَرٌّ , e.g. الضَّرُّ […]

Early Forenoon = ضُحًى

ضُحًى is the early forenoon. It may be masculine or feminine. It is often compared to ضَحْوَةٌ , which most lexicographers said was a synonym, but some say that ضُحًى is after the ضَحْوَةٌ time, the latter beginning when the sun has risen, and the former when it begins to […]

Pregnant = حَامِلٌ

The word for “pregnant” in Arabic is حَامِلٌ (haamil). It is the active participle from the verb حَمَلَ , which means to carry. Although this is the masculine form, we can use it as an adjective for a female, so we can say both

Immigrant = طَارِئٌ

The word for “immigrant” in Arabic is طَارِئٌ (taari’). It comes from the root verb طَرَأَ عَلَى , which means to come to someone (from some distant place). Note that its prepositional phrase complement, which we translate using

Revolution = ثَوْرَةٌ

The word for “revolution” in Arabic is ثَوْرَةٌ (thawrah). It comes from the root verb ثَارَ , which has the meanings to become roused, provoked; to be stirred up, spread (dust); to flow, gush forth (water). As such, the […]

Bride = عَرُوْسٌ

The word for “bride” in Arabic is عَرُوْسٌ (‘aroos). However, it can also mean bridegroom. In modern Arabic the word for bride is عَرُوْسَةٌ , and so is made distinct from bridegroom by the addition of the

Beauty = جَمَالٌ

The word for “beauty” in Arabic is جَمَالٌ (jamaal). It indicates both physical beauty and beauty in character. The difference between this and حُسْنٌ is that the latter, when it is used for physical beauty, refers to the beauty of the […]

To See = رَأَى

The word for “to see” in Arabic is رَأَى (ra’aa). It can also be used to mean “to consider“. In the former case, where it is used to mean “to see”, it is singly transitive (for example
رَأَيْتُ الْقَمَرَ […]

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Arabic-Studio.com was set up in 2009 by Saqib Hussain. After graduating with a Physics degree from Oxford University, Saqib obtained a Diploma in Arabic and the Islamic sciences from Abi Nour seminary (Damascus, Syria), and studied two years in Egypt, focussing on Arabic and Quranic studies. He is currently completing a DPhil in Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford.